The City’s annual budget is part of a five-year financial plan that sets out the planned services and initiatives for the next five years, and how the City will pay for them.
Our 2022 budget built upon the responsible and focused approach that Port Coquitlam has become known for, prioritizing getting the basics right by investing in core municipal services, while also supporting a number of community priorities such as public safety, transportation and infrastructure improvements, downtown revitalization, and climate change adaptation.
We collected feedback on the draft budget until Jan. 15. Thank you to our residents who provided feedback! Your input helps to inform Council’s decisions throughout the year.
Sign Up for Let’s Talk PoCo!Sign up for Let’s Talk PoCo, the City’s public engagement tool, to get alerts and have your say about City decisions that affect you – including the annual budget – through surveys, polls, maps and other online tools. You can access it directly at portcoquitlam.ca/letstalk.
The City’s draft budget and service delivery for 2022 were guided by three priorities:
These priorities are based on Council’s 2020-2022 priorities along with community feedback received throughout the year and through the annual budget survey and other public consultation.
Overall, the draft budget reflected the City’s ongoing focus on getting the basics right – planning and providing core municipal services (such as roads, utilities and other infrastructure, safety and recreation) that matter to residents and businesses.
In general, the proposed 2022 budget assumed a continuing return to normal operational levels.
Factors affecting the 2022 budget:
The City’s annual budget pays for a wide variety of important City services (see the Where Do My Taxes and Levies Go tab below.)
Given the increases in non-discretionary costs and unknowns as the COVID-19 recovery unfolds, the draft 2022 budget included limited new expenditures in order to reduce the impact on taxpayers. A proposed investment of $50,000 (the equivalent of a 0.07% increase, or $1.41 for the average home) for 2022 would enhance the City’s cybersecurity measures and cloud-based storage and recovery of information.
Similar to past years, the draft budget plans for an infrastructure levy, the equivalent of one per cent of the tax increase, to support future infrastructure replacement.
Other budgeted services and activities for 2022 include:
Municipal property taxes and levies for the average Port Coquitlam home (assessed at $781,522) were proposed to increase in 2022 by:
Property bills for homes receiving waste collection services include a solid waste levy, which increased by $7.53 in 2022.
All properties also pay water and sewer levies, which are flat user fees for these services that appear on the spring utility bill. For single-family homes, the water levy will increase by $10.05 and the sewer levy by $6.84 in 2022. Multi-family rates will be lower.
Sign up for the City’s Prepayment Plan to pay next year’s tax and utility bills in easy monthly installments.
Port Coquitlam has an established track record of lower-than-average property taxes and utilities when compared to other municipalities in Metro Vancouver.
Please note that the figures provided by the BC Ministry of Municipal Affairs are based on average assessed values that differ from those used by Port Coquitlam. While this results in a difference in dollar values for the taxes and utilities reported, the charts correctly reflect the City’s ranking and percentage changes over time.
A property’s assessed value determines its share of taxes. The assessments provided by BC Assessment each January indicate how much Port Coquitlam property assessments increased or decreased from the prior year.
Properties whose value has increased or decreased more than other typical properties of the same type will experience a tax rate that differs from the average.
We will post the new average change for Port Coquitlam residential assessments here in early January.
This is how your annual City property taxes and levies are applied to a wide variety of important services and programs.
All City services and programs are reflected in the business plans developed annually by each department. Each plan includes the following sections:
Please note that these plans may change based on budgeting decisions.
The public is invited to comment year-round on the City's Financial Planning process through:
Tel 604.927.5280
Email budget@portcoquitlam.ca
City Hall, 1st Floor
2580 Shaughnessy Street
Port Coquitlam BC V3C 2A8
Business Hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding statutory holidays)
